Equipment for croquet type games



Sept- 2, 1969 A. ROBILLARD, JR 3,464,697

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United States Patent 3,464,697 EQUIPMENT FOR CROQUET TYPE GAMES Arthur Robillard, Jr., 1 Linden St., South Glens Falls, NY. 12804 Filed Jan. 3, 1967, Ser. No. 606,638 Int. Cl. A63b 67/00 US. Cl. 27356 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Equipment for croquet type games utilizing mallets, balls and special ball pockets. Each pocket is provided with a flat rectangular horizontal base and three vertical walls joined in such a manner as to leave a rectangular opening located adjacent to one wall and between the remaining two walls. The opening is spanned by a flat apron member, pivotally secured at each of its ends to a corresponding free vertical wall edge. The apron is constructed and connected in a manner as to allow a ball to roll upward onto the plate and to thereafter be trapped into the pocket.

Summary of the invention My equipment comprises a plurality of balls, 2. like plurality of mallets and a like plurality of ball receiving pockets as well as stakes and wickets.

Each ball is of a different color; each corresponding pocket and mallet carry the same color whereby the balls, mallets and pockets are color coded.

Each pocket is provided with a flat rectangular horizontal base and three vertical walls. Two of the walls extend upward from opposite plate edges and are parallel. The third wall extends upward from another plate edge perpendicular to the two parallel walls and joined thereto leaving a vertical opening between free vertical edges of the two parallel walls. All walls have the same height.

A fiat apron member spans the opening and is pivotally secured at each of its ends to a corresponding free vertical wall edge at the same vertical level adjacent but above the plate. The member extends downward from these edges and outward of the plate when in open position to provide an upwardly inclined plane along which a ball can be rolled upward onto the plate. As will be explained in more detail below, once the ball is in the pocket it is trapped and cannot roll out.

Brief description of the drawings In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan View of a playing field Showing the equipment in position for use;

FIG. 2 is a side view of one form of my pocket;

FIG. 3 is a side view of another form of my pocket; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the pocket of FIG. 2.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments Referring now to FIG. 1, on a horizontal playing field are two vertical spaced apart stakes with two wickets 12 disposed in relation therewith to show a diamond shaped field of play.

3,464,697 Patented Sept. 2, 1969 Disposed in the center of the diamond field are two sets of horizontally aligned groups of three pockets 14, the sets being disposed back to back. Each pocket is colored differently, colors green, black, orange, blue, yellow and red being used.

There are six balls 16, three being disposed by each stake as shown and color coded in like manner to the corresponding pockets. There are also six mallets 18 (only one being shown) which are color coded in the same manner.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 4, each pocket has a fiat square horizontal plate 20 with parallel first and second square walls 22 and 24 extending vertically upwards from opposite edges of the plate and joined by a third vertical wall 26 extending perpendicularly thereto upwards from a third plate edge and joined to both walls 22, thus leaving a vertical opening extending upward from the fourth edge. All walls are at the same vertical level.

A fiat apron member 30 is pivotally secured at an edge of each end as shown at 28 to a free vertical edge (at the same level) of walls 22 and 24 above plate 20 and spanning the opening. When the member is in open position, it extends outward from the plate and downward to provide an upwardly inclined plane upon which a driven ball can be rolled upward and into the pocket and drop on the plate 20. As the ball rolls upward, the weight shift on member 30 lifts same (as shown in phantom in FIG. 2) until the ball drops in. The member then swings downward to the open position, and due to the level of pivot, the ball must be lifted (and cannot roll) out.

Each of walls 22 and 24 can have an outwardly extending top horizontal flange 32 with an opening. A wicket can extend downward through these holes in the region of the vertical opening into the ground to hold the pocket in place. Alternatively, the wicket need not be used and, as shown in FIG. 3, a suction cup 34 providing the same function can be secured to the bottom of plate 20.

A variety of games can be played using this equipment. In one such game the object is to drive a ball from one stake through a wicket, strike the other stake through the other wicket, strike the first stake and then into the like colored pocket before any other player succeeds in doing the same thing.

While I have described my invention with particular reference to the drawings, my protection is to be limited only by the terms of the claims which follow.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a croquet type game, a plurality of ball securing pockets, each pocket having a horizontal rectangular base plate, three vertical rectangular walls of the same height, said walls extending upward from three corresponding edges of said plate leaving a vertical opening extending upward from the fourth plate edge, at least one vertical edge of each wall being secured to an adjacent edge and an adjacent wall, two spaced apart walls being parallel and joined to the third wall which is perpendicular thereto, each of said two parallel walls being provided with a separate horizontal flange extending outward from the top edge thereof, each flange having a hole disposed adjacent said opening, said holes being adapted to receive a wicket, a flat apron member spanning the free vertical edges of said two walls and said opening, said member being pivotally secured to said free edges adjacent but above said plate and having an open position at which said member extends outward of said plate and downward toward any supporting surface for said plate to provide an upwardly inclined plane along which a ball can be rolled upward into said plate.

2. A game as set forth in claim 1 each pocket being of a different color and a like plurality of balls, each ball being of the same color as a corresponding pocket.

3. A game as set forth in claim 2 further including a like number of mallets, each mallet carrying a different color, each mallet color being the same as that of the corresponding ball and pocket.

4. References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 278,341 5/1883 Kelly 273-31 657,233 9/1900 Allen. 1,43 6,962 11/ 1922 Kaiser. 2,451,770 10/ 1948 Parke. 2,583,493 1/ 1952 Prentice et a1. 273-56 3,341,207 9/ 1967 Shusda.

RICHARD c. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner T. BROWN, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

